What If
by Silver Elf Child
Summary: fifth in the raptor saga. The Maximals get some well deserved help from unexpected allies.


Disclaimer: Hasbro owns the Beast Wars and it's characters. I own the raptor gang and Razor Claw. "What if" belongs to Illuminated Films and sung by Kate Winslet. (Go check it out it is a very good song, and surprisingly she is a good singer.)

A/N: this is the fifth story in the raptor saga. Please don't get deterred by the addition of new characters. The Raptors will return in another story down the line, but these new characters are needed for plots to come. I get to kill them ^_^ (That is unless you want me to kill Rattrap, then I'll be happy to ablige).

What If

By Silver Elf Child

Cybertron-

Two female Maximals are walking together down the street.

"I can't believe you did it?"

"Why?"

"But you worked so hard for it?"

"Yeah, but sometimes its better to follow your spark."

"I swear, you are one love crazy bot."

"Your just jealous Fire Dancer."

"No, you're crazy Wind Chaser."

The two laughed and kept walking.

"I'm suppose to meet him in a few cycles," Wind Chaser said to Fire Dancer.

"Do you think..."

"He's going to ask me?"

"Yeah."

"I hope so."

"Here he comes and he looks excited about something. Well I'll leave you two love birds alone, see ya."

"Bye."

"Oh and I want every detail later K."

"All right already will you go now."

"I'm gone."

The two females separate and Wind Chaser walked toward her boyfriend who is racing towards her. He grabbed her and swung her in the air.

"What's the occasion," she laughed.

"I have the best news."

"Well tell me already silly," she said with a playful slap to his arm.

"First congratulations to you on your command of the Star Gazer."

"Well... I need to talk to you about that."

"No, let me finish, you know how I've been trying for several stellar years now to get command of a ship, any ship."

"Yes," Wind Chaser said hesitantly.

"I was a little disheartened when I heard you got command of the Star Gazer, but today I was just given command of the Axalon."

"That's great Optimus."

"I know, what were you going to say?"

"Oh nothing."

"Come on you wanted to say something."

"I was going to tell you that I wouldn't know how you would feel about my taking the job, but I guess now its all right," she said giving him her best smile.

"Unfortunately I have to call off our date. I have to run and interview a future crew members."

"That's all right. I'll see you latter then."

"Thanks," he gave her a kiss and ran off. He quickly stopped, spun around and asked, "you are going to be there for my send off wont you?"

"Of course."

"I leave the day after tomorrow."

"Well then you better get moving now shouldn't you Optimus Primal," she said in a teasing manner.

He gave her a smile and ran off. She turned away from him and tried not to cry.

*I hope he didn't see the disappointment in my optics* she thought to herself.

Later that day in Wind Chaser's apartment several of her friends are trying to cheer her up. It looked like a sleep over except no pajamas and instead of human girls, they were Maximal's.

"What a jerk. Couldn't he see he was breaking your spark!"

"Tinadon you can't blame him, Wind Chaser hid her disappointment from him."

"And how would you know that Fire Dancer?"

"Because I was there."

"It's not his fault," said Wind Chaser.

"What do you mean it's not his fault? He broke your spark!" exclaimed Thunder Racer.

"I didn't tell him I turned down the command."

"You should have."

"Why? Just to destroy his dreams of ever getting to command a star ship? I couldn't do that. He's been trying so hard and for so long. I'm actually happy for him."

"Then what are we sitting around here sulking about if your happy for him?"

"Because I'm going to be stuck here on Cybertron for five years while he's going to be out exploring the galaxy."

"Then why don't you go back to the Admiral and ask for the command of the Star Gazer?"

"She can't do that!.....Hey where are you going?" asked Thunder Racer.

"I'm going to try the impossible. I'll be back shortly and we can finish our party. See ya!" Wind Chaser said as she rushed out of her apartment.

Her friends laughed at her as she left. Three megacycles later she returned to an empty apartment.

"Hey guys where'd you go?!"

"They left," came a male voice from the kitchen.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know, when I came in, they left."

Wind Chaser came around the corner and leaned on the counter and watched her brother rummage through the cabinets for something to eat.

"Have you noticed that they all seem to disappear when you decide to reappear now and then."

"I have no idea why," he said as he continued his search. "Do you have anything in here worth eating?"

Wind Chaser smiled at him then went and sat on the couch with their knees pulled up to her chest and hugged them.

"So why were they here?"

"We were having a sleep over."

"Why?"

"I... I received some bad news today and they were trying to cheer me up."

"Is that why you left?"

"D.C. I left to remedy a problem not because of my friends."

Depth Charge came walking into the family room littered with pillows and blankets carrying two cartons of energon ice cream and two spoons. He handed one of each to Wind Chaser and asked, "so you want to tell me about it?"

Wind Chaser looked up to her big brother, smiled, took the ice cream and said, "sure. You always had a knack for making me feel better with ice cream."

They both laughed.

Two days later, the launch pad is very busy with bots running around trying to finish last minute preparations for the Axalon's launch. The ship's crew are saying goodbye to family and friends and preparing to board the ship. Optimus was talking to some friends when he spied Wind Chaser out of the corner of his optic. "Excuse me," he said before he made his way over to her. "Wind Chaser I'm so glad you made it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Why did you turn down command of the Star Gazer?"

"Who told you that?"

"Rhinox did, why did you?"

"I had done it before you got the Axalon."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Optimus Primal the ship will be locking down in five cycles," said an attendant, "the Admiral requests your personage on the ships' bridge before lock down."

"Well you had better get going," Wind Chaser said.

"I'll be there in a cycle, Wind Chaser why did you turn the position down?"

"I.... I..... I did it for you. Now just get going before you make me cry," Wind Chaser said as she turned her back on him.

"Optimus Primal your presence is required on the Axalon's bridge now."

Optimus resigned from asking Wind Chaser any more questions and he walked away. Before he entered the Axalon he whispered, "I'll always remember you Wind Chaser."

As Optimus stepped onto the bridge, the Axalon started to rise off the ground. "Status report."

"Everything is normal and running fine," said Rhinox.

"Good. Give me visual."

The screen came to life with a picture of thousands of Cybertronians wishing the Axalon's crew bon voyage.

"Wahoo. Hey kiddo look, we're hero's to all these bots," Rattrap said to Cheetor.

"Yeah!"

As the Axalon's crew watched the cheering crowd Optimus Primal was concentrated on one face. He knew that her spark was breaking, but so was his. This was not the time to feel sorry for himself, so Optimus closed his optics and ordered for escape velocity to be reached and they zoomed off into space.

Earth, Maximal base.

CRASH!

Optimus woke up suddenly and looked around his quarters from the floor.

"Prime."

He got up and sat on the bed. He leaned over to rest his elbows on his legs and placed his hand over his face and rubbed his optics. The clicking hailing signal sounded from the door. Optimus looked up and the sound came again. He stood and said, "enter."

The door opened and Rhinox entered.

"Is everything all right?"

Optimus sat back down as the door closed behind Rhinox. "Yes."

Rhinox gave Optimus a questionable glance.

"Oh don't give me that look."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Fine."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No,...... I want to...... I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning?"

Optimus did not respond.

"What's troubling you?"

"Wind Chaser."

Rhinox was quiet.

"I keep seeing her in my dreams."

Rhinox still did not respond.

Optimus looked up at him waited for a response, but when he didn't get one he sighed and continued. "If I hadn't gotten the command of the Axalon, I was going to give up on Star Command, take a desk job and marry her."

"Did you ever tell her this?"

"No... She gave up the Star Gazer for me, why couldn't I do the same for her?"

Rhinox put his hand on Optimus' shoulder. "She wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She loved you enough to let you follow your dream."

"Uh, maybe your right."

Space

We see a star ship gliding along in the dark black void littered with fiery dots, floating ice, rocks missiling through space, comets, and asteroids. A ship passes by and the name on the side reads Star Gazer'. The Star Gazer is an M class star ship, twice the size of the Axalon, but equipped with more research labs and capable of taking heavy firepower as well as dishing it out. The crew of the Star Gazer is composed of six females and one male Maximal's. Their mission is to explore and discover new solar systems. They glide along peacefully when....

"Captain scanners are picking up an anomaly coming straight at us."

"What kind of anomaly?"

"It is some kind of wave front."

The captain turned to her second and asked, "any suggestions?"

"Give me a cycle."

The crew quickly took readings to try and find the waves composition, velocity, force and any other physical, chemical, or mathematical problems you can possibly conceive.

"Report!" ordered the captain.

The chief science officer spew out some datum, which I can't comprehend.

"In idiotese please," said the captain loosing patients.

"Brace for impact its going to be a bumpy ride!"

The anomaly hit the Star Gazer and threw her occupants around like rag dolls. What the crew of the Star Gazer didn't know was that the wave front anomaly was the transwarp wave, the one by product of the transwarp explosion. The ship is transported through space at a high rate to where the transwarp wave originated. After the ship was stabilized, the groggy seasick passengers got back to their stations.

"Status report," ordered the captain.

"Engines off line, thrusters inoperative."

"Great!"

"Sir we're approaching the planet at an accelerated rate."

"Any way to slow us down?"

"No."

"Any chance of survival of reentry?"

"Our trajectory is wrong."

"Fine everyone to the escape pods!"

The crew raced toward the escape pods. The captain stood on the bridge and looked down at the approaching planet.

"Come on Wind Chaser!" yelled Fire Dancer as she pulled her friend by the arm toward the escape pods.

The pods launch and entered Earth's atmosphere at the safe trajectory and velocity. Each pod landed separately, so lets just focus on one pod for now, then go back and look at the others okay? (Well if you don't like it too bad this is my story and I'm doing it my way. =)) Now with that said and done we can only follow the last pod to eject from the ship (because someone had to argue with me and I had to rebut the rebuttal to my decision). Anyway.... The pod came down at an incredible rate and raced toward the Maximal base.

It was night so only one Maximal was on duty. Unfortunately it was Rattrap's watch, and well he wasn't watching anything. He was asleep and he was just as startled as the other sleeping Maximal's when the pod grazed the top of the Axalon. The pod crashed several yards away and launched the Maximal inside to the ground. Optimus and the others raced to the command center.

"What hit us," Optimus demanded to know.

"I don't know, but it ripped a hole in the roof boss monkey," Rattrap said as he was busy at the controls.

"Cheetor give me a visual."

"I'm on it."

The vid screen came to life with a picture of a smoking pod just outside the base.

"Oh no," whispered Rattrap.

"Cheetor come with me," ordered Optimus.

The two rush out of the Axalon and towards the mangled metal of what use to be an escape pod. When they reached the pod they look to find any survivor, but find none in the pod.

"Could it have been a blank big bot?" asked Cheetor.

"Uh, I don't know Cheetor. Look around the vicinity, the protoform may have been thrown from the pod."

The two look around the crash site for the protoform'.

"Optimus, over here!" exclaimed Cheetor.

Optimus Primal ran over to where Cheetor was and was surprised to find not a protoform, but a transformer instead.

"Oh no," he muttered.

The transformer was face down and the body was all contorted in an awkward position. Optimus attempted to roll the transformer over without causing more damage to the new Maximal. It only took an instant for Optimus to recognize the transmetal body he now held in his arms.

"Wind Chaser!"

Her optics flickered on and she looks up at Optimus. It took a little while for her to recognize the somewhat familiar transmetal face.

"Optimus.... Is that you," she said weakly.

"Wind Chaser... come on Cheetor we have to get her to a CR chamber fast," Optimus said as he picked her up.

The two race to the Axalon with the injured Wind Chaser. She stayed in the CR chamber for two days. During which time the Maximals searched for any more pod signatures.

"There has to be more pods. The only way Wind Chaser could have gotten here was if there was another ship."

"Well if there was a ship how come we can't detect it?" asked Rattrap.

"I don't know."

"It may have been destroyed," said Rhinox, "why else would she be in an escape pod?"

"Then there has to be other pods. We have to keep looking."

Just then the CR chamber released pressure and steam. Out stepped Wind Chaser good as new and a transmetal. She looks around and asked, "where am I?"

"Wind Chaser how do you feel?"

"Optimus?..... How the ...... where are the others?"

"What others?"

"My crew. There were six of them."

"Your pod is the only one we've found so far."

Wind Chaser started looking for something on her personage then exclaimed "SLAG!" when she did not find what she was looking for.

"What's wrong?" asked Rhinox.

"I left the beckon on the ship."

"Well we'll just go and get it," said Rattrap.

"Can't." 

"Why not?"

"The ship is no more. It blew up when it hit the planets atmosphere."

"There goes our ride home," said Rattrap in his usual pessimistic manner.

Wind Chaser took a step forward and stumbled. Silverbolt caught her and steadied her on her feet.

"I don't understand, I just got out of the CR chamber why am I so weak?"

"You were only repaired. You haven't had enough time to reenergize," said Rhinox.

"You should rest. You can use my quarters," said Optimus.

Optimus lead the exhausted Wind Chaser to his quarters. While Optimus was gone the others headed out to search for the six missing pods. They spent the day scouring different sectors of the planet, but they all return to the Axalon empty handed.

Wind Chaser awoke to find herself in a pitch black room. Judging by the darkness she figured that it was night so she didn't get up. Instead she lay in the bed till her optics adjusted to the minimal light. After her optics adjusted she was able to make things out in the dark. In the corner was a desk with a lamp, and a picture on the desk. There was a plant on a nightstand next to the bed. There was a chair leaning against the wall on which Optimus Primal slept.

"Optimus," she said.

"Huh, what?" said a sleepy Optimus Primal.

"Optimus."

"What's wrong Wind Chaser?"

"Nothing, come here."

Optimus stood up and went over to the bed.

"Lay down."

"There's not enough room."

"Just lay down stupid. You need sleep."

"I can sleep on the chair."

"No you can't; you'll fall over and hurt yourself. Just lay down."

Optimus didn't argue any further. He lay down next to Wind Chaser, who laid her head on his chest and wrapped his arm around her. She snuggled close to him and fell back to sleep. Optimus was asleep before she was, and the two slept peacefully till the morning.

***

"Hey have either of you two seen big bot?" Cheetor asked Rhinox and Rattrap as he walked into the command center.

"No, what do you need the boss monkey for?" asked Rattrap.

"None of your business," retorted Cheetor.

"Hmmm, its not like Optimus to sleep this late, lets go see what's wrong," said Rhinox.

The three Maximals made their way to Optimus' quarters. Upon reaching their destination Rattrap (as usual) threw discretion out the window and opened the door without knocking. "Yo big banana are you in........"

"Uh oh," whispered Cheetor.

Optimus jolted awake when he heard Rattrap. Doing so he woke Wind Chaser.

"Uh never mind Optimus we'll come back later," said Rhinox as he closed the door and the three peeping toms high tail it down the corridor.

Optimus jumped from bed and started to rant and rave. "When I get my hands on them, oh they are going to get it!" Optimus headed to the door to chase after Rhinox, Rattrap, and Cheetor, but was stopped by the sound of Wind Chaser's laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes you. You act like your pride has just been hurt."

Optimus was speachless.

Wind Chaser laughed again, got up and walked over to him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "relax, its no big deal what they think. Nothing happened."

Optimus blushed as Wind Chaser left his quarters. She entered the command center where Rhinox, Rattrap and Cheetor waited for the wrath of Optimus Primal.

"Good morning," she said with a smile.

"Good morning," chimed Cheetor; which earned him a slap upside the head from Rattrap. "Hey what was that for?"

"That was to remind you to keep your mouth shut next time."

Wind Chaser laughed at the two as Dinobot arrived back from his patrol.

"Good morning," Wind Chaser said to Dinobot.

"Good morning," Dinobot tried to grumble (but he has a hard time hiding a smile).

Optimus entered (stage right).

"Hey big bot we're sorry for...."

"There is no excuse Cheetor for barging in like that!"

"I was going to knock, but Rattrap just opened the door," explained Cheetor.

"So now its all my fault!" exclaimed Rattrap.

"It doesn't matter," Optimus said. He contemplated a suitable punishment, but after glancing over at Wind Chaser and her sweet smile beaming back, he sighed, "just don't let it happen again."

The three Maximals breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Yo chopper face where you been?" asked Rattrap.

"Recon"

"Recon what?"

"The pods."

"Yeah right and I'm a.."

"Shut up Rattrap," said Optimus. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes and no. I did not find any pods, but I did find Megatron and E.O."

"And let me guess they were having a moonlight picnic and you got jealous," Rattrap said sarcastically.

"Silence yourself vermin before I silence you forever," snarled Dinobot.

"Will you two just drop it," said Wind Chaser "go on Dinobot."

"They are planning something, but I don't know what."

"Well at least we know they are up to something. You had better get some rest."

"I take my leave then," said Dinobot as he headed for his quarters.

"Eh, I don't know about him Optimus, he's been acting weird since the raptors landed here. Are you sure we can still trust him?" asked Rattrap.

Optimus choose to ignore Rattrap. He sighed and said, "I have to catch up on some paper work. Do you mind if I take a few cycles break from the search Wind Chaser?"

"You catch up on your paper work, these three and I will continue the search."

Optimus left and Wind Chaser turned to the others, "Well what's holding you? Let's get moving Maximals!"

The End

Tune in next time same cat time same cat channel.

Smile, live, laugh, love and God Bless.


End file.
